Line-tightener



UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES PARK AND DAVID PARK, OF NEVARK, NEIT JERSEY.

LINE-Tlcl-ITENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,022, dated March 25, 1890. Application filed September 16, 1889. Serial No. 324,029. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern: Be it known that we, JAMES PARK and DA- VID PARK, citizens of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Line-Tighten ers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon,which form apart of this specification.

This invention is designed to provide a clamping device for tightening lines, such as as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The invention has for its object to provide a line fastener or holder by means of which a line may readily be pulled taut and held in its fastened position until released, and thereby enabling the line to hang slack when not 1n use.

In the views shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the clamping device or line-fastener, the same being illustrated in position as applied to'an ordinary pulley-line. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, illustrating the tightening or cam lever in its holding or locked engagement with the line, and thereby fastening the same, and also showing by means of dotted lines said lever in its unlocked or disengaged position. Fig. 3J is a similar view to Fig. 2, but illustrating the body portion of the line-fastener provided at the one end thereof with a swiveled hook, thereby adapting the device for use more especially on boats or vessels. Fig. 4: represents a construction in which the pulley shownin the above-described figures is dispensed with,

andFig. 5 represents a top view of the @am or tightening lever.

In the views described in the above similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views.

The clamping or tightening device consists of a body portion a, which is formed as shown, being provided with two tubular ends a and a2, in one of which, as d', is secured by means of a knotl one end b of a line b. Through the opposite end a2 of the body portion a is inserted the other end b2 of the line b, which passes through the opening in the end a2 and down over a pulley a3, arranged on the under side of the body a and secured thereto by means of ears d4, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, said end of the line b passing over and around the pulley to facilitate the pulling on the line with ease when it becomes necessary to tighten the same.

Thebody portion a is formed as indicated more especially in Figs. 2, 3, and et, and is provided with a chamber c5, having an opening in the top thereof near the end a2, as will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4. Ears or lugs a6 are cast on both sides of the opening in the top of the chamber a5, to which is secured by means of a pin or rivet'c the clamping or tightening lever d. Said lever is provided at its pivoted end with a cam or jaw d', as shown in Figs. l and 2, which is forced down upon the line when the latter has been drawn taut, and thereby secures the line in its fastened position. The tightening-lever cl is provided at its opposite end with a finger-piece or raised portion d2 to cause the easy manipulation of the same when it becomes necessary to throw the cam or jaw d out of engagement with the line b.

The operation of the tightening device is as follows: Vhen the end b of the line b has been secured to the tubular end a. of the tightening device and the other end b2 of the line has been inserted' through the opposite end a2 of the body portion et and over the pulley (L3, a knot b3 is tied into the end of the line, so that the two ends of the line cannot become disengaged or pullout from the tubular ends of the body portion a. The line, when not in use, is slack; but when it becomes Fig. 2, is then thrown over and the claw cnd rl of the said lever firmly forced down upon the line and holds the latter in its fastened position. To further secure the holding engagement of the line and the claw d,a recess a7 may be arranged in the holloWed-ont portion or chamber a5 near the end a2 directly beneath the claw or cam d, into which the rope or line is forced by the downward pressure of the cam end of the tighteningdever, thus rmly holding the line in position.

As will be seen from Fig. 5, the lever d may be provided with shoulders d3, which engage with the edge as of the upper opening in the chamber a, and thereby hold the said lever d in its raised position, as indicated in Fig. 2. The lever d, as will be seen from said Fig. 2, is provided on its under side with a raised portion d4, which projects down into the opening in the chamber a in the body portion ofthe clamping or holding device and conforms with the shape of said opening and prevents any side movement of said lever d. When the lever d has been raised, the cam end d' is thrown out of engagement with the line and entirely out of the way of the passage of the line through the tubular end a2, and the line is free to move, and consequently will hang in its slack. position.

It will be noticed from the drawings that the body portion a of the line-tightener is provided at the inner end of the tubular portion a with a recessed chamber a9, into which the knotted end b of the lirc fits, and is thereby secured therein, as will be evident from Fig. 2. As is indicated in Fig. 3, said end a of the holding or clamping device may be provided with a hook e for attaching theV lineholder to any part of a building or to the bulwark of a ship, the rope or line passing through the other end d2 and over the pulley a3, and being held within the body portion of the device by means of the clamping or tightening lever in the same-manner as has been described in the above. It will be understood that the longer the cam or claw d on the tightening-lever (l the greater will be the pressure exerted upon the top of the line by the same.

From Fig. 4 it will be apparent that the pulley a3 may be dispensed with, the ends of the line being secured to the tubular portion a and passing through the other portion a2, respectively, and being held by means of the holding-lever, as has been described.

t will be understood that when the hereindescribed tightening or holding device is used on pulley-lines for hanging wash the ends D and bzof the continuous line b pass over ordinary pulleys, which are secured to buildings or to posts in the well-known manner.

As thus constructed and arranged, the clamping or holding device may be secured on any line, and when once attached there is no necessity of removing the same. The end a2 of the line-holder being placed near the pulley on the building, the end b2 of the line b may be pulled taut Without leaning out of the window, and the lever d closed down upon the line without any danger to the operator.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is Y The combination, in a line-holder, of a body portion having a chamber a at one end and a similar' chamber at the other end, and provided at each end with tubular portions a and a2, a lever pivoted 011 the upper side of said body portion and provided with a claw CZ', extending downwardly and into an opening in said chamber a, and a recess a7 in the bottom of said chamber, into which the line is forced when the cam end of the lever is in engagement with said line, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the invention Set forth above We have hereunto set our hands this 14th day of September, 1889.

JAMES PARK. DAVID PARK. Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, FREDK. S. RICE. 

